Ritchie Blackmore's octave

[gordonjackson83]

Hi guys, I happened upon this video of Ritchie Blackmore with the most beautiful sounding octave mandola (octave mandolin). I don't know what make it is, but I love the sound, although I didn't like his vibrato! Anyone know who made it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwLQSU0zy68&t=1455s

[jefflester]

Fylde I believe, I've come across references of him playing Fylde instruments.

https://www.fyldeguitars.com/news0414.html

[gordonjackson83]

I have too, but it doesn't look like any of the instruments on the Fylde website.

[jefflester]

You don't think it looks like this?

[Dave Hanson]

I can't work up the interest to watch this with so much silly talking.

Dave H

[gordonjackson83]

Well no, not really:



Actually, this looks more like a bouzouki, although in the first video I think it's an octave mandola. Same design though, and he has a gsimilar guitar as well.

[gordonjackson83]

I can't work up the interest to watch this with so much silly talking.

Yet you could work up the interest to post this - kudos.

[jefflester]

Well no, not really:



Actually, this looks more like a bouzouki, although in the first video I think it's an octave mandola. Same design though, and he has a gsimilar guitar as well.

Yeah, that one looks different than the first video, different soundhole, different bridge. But if you're focusing on the (IMO ugly) art, that's a different question.

[gordonjackson83]

I agree it's ugly art! It's the sound I like - I think it's the same design as the first video.

[journeybear]

Happened upon this video, which dates to the early days of the first lockdown. Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple doing a live stream broadcast from - his home? The first 25 minutes features him on an octave or bouzouki. There's also a mandolin in the instrument rack behind him. I had no idea he did any mandolinning. The segment concludes with a humorous reworking of "Greensleeves." I was going to post this odd occurrence, but thought to search first, and found this thread. Seems his double-course dabbling is not a secret, after all. So, here 'tis.

[Simon DS]

Great vid, many thanks.
Yes, the silly chatter, I learned a lot
-Richie Blackmore’s courageous, and he’s a human being!

Funny about the beer though, if I had all the money he has, and drank alcohol in such huge quantities, and then suddenly lockdown arrived, the first thing I’d do is buy a pub on a mountain. Paradise!!

Maybe get the pub to run out of beer and see how many days of alcohol withdrawal it would take to get Richie really inspired. Ha, ha.

[journeybear]

Well, we can't see the source of that beer, hidden behind his wife. Might have a keg back there. That would help get through lockdown.

[JeffD]

Hang on a second. got myself confused. At 9 minutes 20 seconds he switches to a guitar with similar markings.

I am going to say that it is a Fylde instrument or some custom made, because normally mandolin family instruments and fifth tuned fretted instruments in general are marked at the 10th fret. Ritchie's is marked at the 9th. Fylde is one of the few, and the only that I know of, that marks their mandolin family instruments at the 9th.

It does have a nice sound.

And it is ugly. The Fylde instruments I have seen are beautiful, so I would hate to attribute it to them, but perhaps it was customized after purchase.


One think I have learned from all the videos around is that there is a required skill to interviewing and talking on camera, holding an an audience with talk, and that no matter what else one is good at, and no matter how substantive the comments or information being conveyed, without that skill these kinds of videos are torture to watch.

Putting his eye glasses on a stick is pretty cool, and much harder to lose.

[journeybear]

I take it you mean in the first video, right after he peers at something through the funkiest lunettes I've ever seen. Sad to say, both of these videos feature quite a low playing-to-talking ratio. Thus they're a little hard for me to watch. Also, the mirror-image selfie view is annoying. I was trying to see if I could figure something out by watching his left hand, but the first video doesn't have it in frame at all, and the second video seems to show that he's using an open tuning - there's a fair amount of droning on all open strings.

Here's the first video, embedded for easier viewing. I'll bet there are more at his youtube channel.